Hákonarmál is a skaldic poem which the skald

Skald

The skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...

 Eyvindr skáldaspillir

Eyvindr Skáldaspillir

Eyvindr Finnsson skáldaspillir was a 10th century Norwegian skald. He was the court poet of king Hákon the Good and earl Hákon of Hlaðir. His son Hárekr later became a prominent chieftain in Norway.His preserved works are:...

 composed about the fall of the Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 king Hákon the Good at the battle of Fitjar

Battle of Fitjar

The Battle of Fitjar took place in Fitjar at Stord in the county of Hordaland, Norway.-Background:The Battle of Fitjar at Stord was the last battle in a war between the sons of Eric Bloodaxe and their uncle King Haakon the Good for power over Norway.It also formed part of a contest between Norway...

 and his reception in Valhalla

Valhalla

In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...

. This poem emulates Eiríksmál

Eiríksmál

Eiríksmál is a skaldic poem composed sometime in 954 or later on the behest of the Norwegian queen Gunnhild in honour of her slain consort Erik Bloodaxe. Only the beginning of the poem is extant....

and is intended to depict the Christian Hákon as a friend to the pagan

Norse paganism

Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...

 gods. The poem is preserved in its entirety and is widely considered to be of great beauty.

These are the last three stanzas.

Góðu dœgri verðr sá gramr of borinn, es sér getr slíkan sefa. Hans aldar mun æ vesa at góðu getit. Mun óbundinn á ýta sjǫt Fenrisulfr Fenrisulfr In Norse mythology, Fenrir , Fenrisúlfr , Hróðvitnir , or Vánagandr is a monstrous wolf...  of fara, áðr jafngóðr á auða trǫð konungmaðr komi. Deyr fé, deyja frændr eyðisk land ok láð. Síz Hákon fór með heiðin goð, mǫrg es þjóð of þéuð.

On a good day is born that great-souled lord who hath a heart like his; aye will his times be told of on earth, and men will speak of his might. Unfettered will fare the Fenriswolf, and fall on the fields of men, ere that there cometh a kingly lord as good, to stand in his stead. Cattle die and kinsmen die, land and lieges are whelmed; since Hákon to the heathen gods fared many a host is harried. Hollander's translation

On a good day will such a king be born who leaves such a sorrow. His reign will forever be mentioned as good only. Unfettered will on earth Fenrisulfr go, before as good on the empty ground a king will come. Cattle die, kinsmen die, land and sea are destroyed. Since Hákon left with heathen gods many people are oppressed. Literal translation

The last stanza is clearly related to a stanza from Hávamál

Hávamál

Hávamál is presented as a single poem in the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems from the Viking age. The poem, itself a combination of different poems, is largely gnomic, presenting advice for living, proper conduct and wisdom....

. The traditional view is that Hákonarmál borrowed from that poem but it is also possible that the relation is reversed or that both poems drew on a third source.

External links

• Hákonarmál in Old Norse from heimskringla.no
• Lee M. Hollander's English translation and commentary
• Samuel Laing's translation (within its Heimskringla context)
• Two editions of the poem